English-The-Life-Of-Caliph-Ali

THE VIRTUOUS DESCENDANTS OF •ALI 241 him.21 Salflessness These purer souls belonging to the family of the Prophet were always extremely careful of not taking the least advantage of their noble descent. They deemed it unbecoming of them to derive an)' material benefit out of .it. We find people belonging to a celebrated family, clan or caste behaving in a way as if they were sacred and holy or some sort of super-natural beings to whom the co1mnon standards of morality and law did not apply. But the behaviour of the descendants of the Prophet, as recorded by history, presents a completely different picture from that of the Bralunins as well as Iranian and Christian priests. The priestly class all over the world had generally taken itself as exclusively ordained ministers of religion, deemed itself as blessed and consecrated and considered it below its dignity to engage ill manual labour, trade or calling to earn its living. This way of dtought and behaviour can be witnessed even today. Once Hasan b. ' Ali went to purchase anything from the market. He asked the price which was told by the shopkeeper. Hasan had yet to purchase it when the shopkeeper somehow came to know who the purchaser was. He reduced the price in deference to l1im as lhe grandson of the Prophet. But Hasan did not like to avail of the concession and returned, saying : · r do not want to take the least advantage of my kinship with the Prophet.' Juwayriyah was the personal attendant of Zainul 'Abidin. He relates th.at his master never availed of any concession, even of a dirham, on account of his relationship with the Prophet. ~ He never disclosed his identity whenever he went out on a journey. On being asked the reason for it he replied : •r do not want to take any benefit on account of my relationship with the Prophet, particularly because I wm be unable to recompense that while I am travelling.' 23 Similar was the practice of 'Ali Raza b.Miisa al-Kazim who never let anybody. know about him on such occasions. 24

242 THI?. LJF£ OF CAL.Il'H ALI Dislike for Laudation All these descendants of the Prophet were always very reticent in expressing their relationship with the Prophet since they disliked that any exaggerated view of their kinship, similar to the priestly classes in o ther religions, be taken by others. Yahya b. Sa'ecd relates that once certain persons started paying tribute to Zainul 'Abidin. He could not control himself and said: 'Love nnd respect for us sl10uld be for the sake of God and on the bnsis of our common faith. I find that you are giving expression to such sentiments of love and praise for me which put me to shamc.'20 Khalaf b. Haushab reports that once Zainul 'Abidin said : •o people of fraq and KUfa ! Love me on account of Islam and do not exalt me in a way that I do not deserve•.::& Zainul 'Abidin is a lso related to have once said: ·We, members of the Prophet's household submit to God on the occasion of joy or a thing liked by us and praise H im in the · c•1se of a calamity or a thing disliked by us' _::7 Similarly when a man was speaking highly of Hasan Muthanna, the latter said to him : 'Man ! Love us on ly on account of God. Deal with us, if we obey Him; keep away from us, if we dis<;>bey Him. If Al!ah had any consideration for kinsh ip He would have accorded redemption to parents for the sake of their children. Say only that about us which is right and just since this is sufficie11t for you and we shall be well pleased with you for it.'ZB On another occasion he said to those who were extolling him: '0 creatures of Allah ! Have concern with us or Jove us if we obey God and for the sake q f obedience to God, but if we disobey God, keep away from us because of our sins'.:!? The progeny of the Prophet was always keen to bring about unity in the ranks of Muslims. 'Abdullllh Ibn Muslim b. Babak (alias Babki, a colleague of Zayd b. 'Ali ) relates : "Once I went to Makkah with Zayd b. 'Ali. In the middle of nigh t when the pole-star was fully illumiJ1ated, Zayd b. 'Ali said : '0 Babki, do you see this star'? Do you think anybody can reach it?' I said, 'N'o'. Zayd s:iid thereupon, ' By God, C desire that my hands

TRE VIR1'UOllS DESCENDANTS OF 'ALI 243 wuch it •ind iL falls down crushing me into pieces and in return Allah bring~ unity and ham10ny among the Muslims !"3D Laudation of the First Three Caliphs They always publicly acknowledged the scr\'ices rendered to Lhe cause of (slam and the debt Muslims owe Lo tl1e first three caliphs. Yahya b. Sa•eed relates that a few persons from fr.HJ called upon 'Ali b. H usain (Zainul ·Abid in) and uttered something improper in regard to the first three caliphs. When they had finished. Zainul 'Abidin said: ' I bear wiu1css that you an: not of the people about whom God says in the Qur'iin : 'And those who came (into the faith ) after them suy : •Our Lord ! Forgive us and our brethren who were before us in the faith, and place not in our hearts any rancour towards them who believe. Our Lord ! Thou nrc ftLll of Pity, Mcrciful.':11 Now go away from liere. God may do whatever he likes with you.' 03:! •Urwa b. 'Abdullah reports : "Once I asked Muhammad al-Baqir about ornamental ion of swords. He replied that there was no hurm in it since Abu Bakr al-Siddiq had also done it'. I rejoined: 'You also call him al-Siddiq'. He got up immediately and facing the Qibla said: ·Yes, I call him al-Siddiq and whoever d oes not recognise him as al-Siddiq, may God not make him trutliful in th is world and the h.ereaftcr. " 31 Maulu Jii.bir a l-J•afi narrates thut when he took lenvc from Muhammud ul-Daqir the la tter said to him : "Tell the pi.:ople of Kiifa th.at f am quit of those who disown Abu Bnkr and ·Umar."3 1 MuluU110rnd b. rs'hiiq says th.at Muhammad a l-Baqir once observed : " He is ignorant of the s111111uh who is not aware of t11 e merits of Abu Bakr and • Umar. ";;3 .\bu Kha lid al-Ah.mar says: "f asked 'Abdullah al-Mahcz b. Hasan al-Muthanna about Abu Dakr and 'Umar. He replied. " May Allah have mercy on both. Whoever does not invoke God·s blessings on them, may Allah not grant H is blessings t~> him... Then he added : " r do not expect God to listen to his repentance who imprecates them.'' Abu Khalid •ilso relates thut

244 Tl1E LCFE OF CALIP II 'AU on being reminded of tl1c assassination of 'ULhman, 'Abdullah al-Mahez wept so bitterly tliat his beard and a part of his shirt were drenched with it.:h• Their Soldierly Conduct and Valour The descendants of the Prophet and 'Ali had inherited the valour and heroic qualities which were the distinguisl1ing qualities of the Prophet's household, particularly 'Ali and Husain. Each. one of them took the path of truth dauntlessly without giving the least thought to the difficulties and perils of the way; they endeavoured witli indomitable courage to keep the Muslims on the path of virtue. A mention ltas already been made of the rising of Zayd b. •Ali b. Husain against tJte Umayycd Caliph Hisham b. •Abdul Malik and Muhammad b. 'Abdullah al-Mehez (Dhu al-Nafs a l-ZakiyaJ1.) along witb his brother Ibrahim against the 'Abbasid Caliph Mansur. They kept up this tradition in different periods of Cslamic history. Sometimes they fougltt an absoulte and unjust ruler, at others they waged war against the infidel powers in Asia and Africa. fn short, they always remained in the fore-front of such struggles with innumerable lteroic deeds to tlteir credit. Th is is a subject th.at still needs th.e pen of o. historian with encyclopaedic knowlcdgc.'·17 The chivalry and manly spirit exhibited by these paragons of virtue befjes tl1e picture drawn by those who c laim to be their adl1crents and adorers. They cross ull limits in order to presenr their own mistaken view and paint them as timid and frightened fellows, trying to hide their faith and real intentions and following: <L policy of dissinmlation and compromise, not merdy as a political strategy but as a means to achieve the pleasure of God and as an act of worship. They claim that the progeny of 'Ali tried to conceal th.e true tenets of faith. from the followers of Tslam, h.ad no zeal to make Islam dominant and fougl1t slty of facing any danger. The portrait of Lile Alids drawn in such works, apparently ro h.ighliglit their virtues and merits, is little dilferent from the

THF.. VIRTUOUS DF..SCENDANTS OF 'At.1 245 freemasonry, the Brothers of PurityJ8 and other underground movements which came into CKistence at different times and some still eKist in various countries The characterisation of these noble souls by their so-called votaries docs not enkindle the sentiment to restore and strengthen the true faith which has many a time changed the course of rslamic history and given courage and confidence to the followers of fslam in its darkest hOL1r during tile last fourteen hundred years. Preaching of Islam Nobody can claim that every individual tracing hjs descent from the Prophet through 'Ali was godly and impeccable or a zealous preacher of fslam, since there are always exceptions to a rule. Many other Muslims families or clans have a proud record of giving birth to scholars nnd men of God and several of them had attained such n spiritual perfection that the descendants of the Prophet deemed it an honour to be guided by them. The fuct, however, rema ins tltat the path of virtue and goodness betaken by the earlier descendants of the Prophet continued, by and large, to be a distinguishing feature of their later generations. They also did not remain indifferent to the social and religious needs and problems of the Muslims of their time (as some claiming to be their ardent followers would like to us to believe), nor did they remain laz) dronc(likc the priestly cla.c;s of certain otller religions. As active members of the society they were second to none in t!tc struggles und sacrifices required to be mude for their faith. The Alids, both Hasanis and Husainis, have rendered valuable service in tile preaching of rslam in all ages and have caused Tslam lo capture the hearts of the people in far flung regions where nobody had earlier heard of Tslam or the name of tile Prophet. They have converted the entire populations of different countries to Tslam and made the faith so entrenched in their soil ihat Tslam has become 1hcir dominant religion and produced innumerable scholars and men of God. Berbers of north Africa,

246 TllE LIFE 01' CAl.lrll /\LI n. contumacious people deemed. as uncontrolable, were converted Lo Islam by tl1e Alids who inspired them with unbounded confidence and won their altacltment to lslam. ~ Similarly, Islam was spread in Kashmfr, which is still a Muslim mnjority State in fndi a, by the Syed 'Ali b Shihlib al-Hnmadani (d 786/13&4 ).•0 Tn the same way Alids played a distinguished role in spreading Islam in South East Asia including Indonesia. L. W. S. Findon who hns traced the origin of fslam in that part or the world holds thi: view that these countries were attracted to Tslam owing to the progeny or the Prophet wl10 converLed the Hindu rajas of Java to fslam. Although otl1er Arabs had reached there from Hadarmaut, they were u11able to wield much infl.uencc. The real preachers were the descendants of the Prophet wlto hrougl1t their religion to that region. Sultan Barakrtt, a descendant of Husain, spread fslnm in Sarawak.41 As the history of these islands shows Alids belonging to the lineage of Husain who had settled in Hadarmaut carried on trade with that fsland. Their frequent visits brought about the conversion of the natives w Islam. rn a seminar held in rn<.!o ncsin on 8th Dhil Hijja I 382/30th April 1962 on lhe causes responsible for dissemination of Islam in those fslands, rhc collective opinion expressed by the participants in the discussion was that Alids of Hadarmaut, belonging to the Shafcite school, spread Islam in fndonesia. Similarly, a group of Alids took the mess1ge o f Islam to Phillipi11e a11d helped to develop it in the social, cultural and political fields. The descendants of the Prophet also spread Tslam in the islands between Indonesia to Madagascar on the one hand and from Malaya ( Malaysia ) to Solo on the other:•~ Quite a large number of spritual guides were the descendams of the Prophet wl10 endeavoured for Lhe purification of spirit and morals oftl1e people and guided them on the path of attaining propinquity to God. ft was through their efforts that innumerable people inculcated awe of God, took the path of s111111ali and liberated themsclvcss from self-indulgence, pride, arrogance and

Til E VCRTUOUS DE:iCENIJAN'fS OF ' 1\Ll 247 similar moral vic1.:s. They were eminently successful in calling peo ple back to God and atta ined such popularity that often the kings and emperors envied the fame and esteem earned by tllem. fn this short account it would be difficult even·to mention the names of all these godly souls. Shaikh 'Abdul Qadir Jilani'3 (470-561 . 1077-1166), however, cs~ vcs to be mentioned here for his miraculous success in reviving the fervour o f faith among the mus<;es and infusing the spirit of God-consciousness nrtd self-purification in them which still remains unparalleled. His sermons reawakened the people to the need of revitalizing the true fa ith and morals. rcstorution of tauhul in its correct form and taking to the path of virtue and goodness in a way that the entire world of fslam was reanimated as if by a new life. Shaikh ' Umur al-Kaysani says: •Afrer every sermon delivered by Shnikh ·Abdul Qadir some Jew or Christian embraced fslam, a murderer, a band it or a crook or an evil-doer repented of his si ns, o r an irreligious person gave up his prof:llle beliefs. The number of bandits and freebooters who repented on his hnnd.s was over a hundred th.ousand.'44 The disciples of Shnik!l 'Abdul Qtidir carried on the mission or their spiritual guide in far off region of Africa wllere they brought innumerable people within the fold of Tslam.'1 ;; Slu1ikh 'Abdul Qadir JiJani also rendered invaluable service in popularising religious education, giving currency to the s111111ah o f the Prophet and weaning th e people away from irreligious inovations and deviations from the true faith :ind its pr;1cticc.•a Reformers of lndo-Pak Sub-Continent lnm1111erablc spiritual guides and reformers of lndo-Pak suh-continent belonged to the li1:eagc of Hasan and Husain. Tlu.:y re-cstablisl1cd the bonds of relationship between the created beings and their Crentor, purified the self and guided the people in tile methods of saving themselves from moral corruption and deception of tlte devil. They have a distinguished record of renewal of faith and spiritunlity nmong the people. The limited space availnhlc here would not allow us to gi ve even a brief

248 THE LI FE OF C1\UPH 'AU nccount of a ll of them but we shall refer l1ere to some of the most eminent among them like Khwajn Nizam-ud-din Muhammad b. Ahmad of Budaun ( popularly known as Sultan-ul-Mashaikh nnd Mahboob-i-rlahi) and his spiritual successors Syed Nasirud-din Mahmud b. Yahya of Oudh (also known as Chiragh-iDchli) and Syed Muhammad b. Yusuf Husaini of Gulbarga (given the title of Khwaja Gesf1 Daraz).'17 They all belonged to the progeny of the Prophet. Khwaja Nizi'.lm-ud-din AuLiya·s (636-7 15/ 1239-1315) achievement described by 'Ali b. Sultan al-Q:iri in his Al-Atl1111iJr a/-Ja1111iyata ft Asm·ll a/-Hanof1yalt reads: " H is attainment in calling the people back to God and infusing the enthusiasm for submiss'.on to divine commandments, leading u virtuous Jifo, creating an aversion for wor.ldliness and longing for purification of the self was unparalleled. He also combined the depth of knowledge with modesty found in the elects of God .. , Another scholar Mujd-ud-din Firozabadi has spoken f\ignly of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din in the Altef a/-Khof1yata fi Asltriif a/-Hanaf1yoh. 48 The wholesome influence exterted by these masters of spirit was not confined to their hospices alone, but had a salutary effect on life of the masses The noted historian of the age, Zia-iid-dln Barni writes about the reform in social Life of the people brought about by Khwaja Nizam-ud-din Auliya. ·•The dominant masters of the path of spirit during the reign of Sult!In 'Ala'-ud-din were Shaikh-ul-Jslnm Nizam-ud-din, Shaikh- ul-fslam ·Ala'-ud-din and Shaik h-ul-fslam Rukn-iid-din. A world was illuminated by the radiance of their piety, thousands had taken oath of allegiance to them and repented of their sins, and innumerable frowards had left th.cir evil ways and become dutiful observers of prayers for ever. Many of them betook the path of spirit, became righteous and punctilious worshippers. Love for the world took flight in

THE \llRTUOUS Dl!:SC ENDANTS OF 'ALI 249 those who witnessed the moral virtues and fruga l life of these masters. The wayfarers of the path of spirit became more enthusiastic in their orisons and litanies and started endeavouring for attaining miraculous powers through inculcating divine propinquity. The religiosity and virtue of these spiritual guides had mudc the people truthful and straightforward, und their moral behaviour tuid devotional travails had created a longing in the people for leading a I ife of virtue and goodness. ··Sultan 'Ala'-ud-din Khilji alongwith his family members had become a sincere follower of the Shaikh. The nobles and t11c commoners had betaken the right path. During the last few ycnrs of 'Ala'-ud-din's rule the people had completely given up wine, lustfulness, gambling and immorality. Major sins were equated with infidelity. Charging of interest and hoarding were deemed so shameful that no Muslim dared commit these sins. No shopkeeper spoke lies, nor shortweighed, nor yet adulterated the goods sold by him.' ~!) Shaikh Mahmud b. Yahya of Oudh (who held the title of Shaikh Nnsir-ud-din Chiragh-i-Deh li ) was on an elevated plane of spiritual perfection : scrupulously following the s111111ali, i1witing people to God and endeavouring to serve the people, he led an ascetic life and died at Delhi in 757;' 1358, where he was buried.60 These spiritual guides were not heedless of their responsibility :1t the hour of difficulty and need, and helped the society and government with their advice and guidance whenever such an occasion arose. An occasion of this nature was the death of Sultan Muhammad Tughluq at Thatlia in Sind where Lhe Muslim government and its army became leaderless, while Mongol hordes bent upon attacking fnditt faced it across the river. ft was then on the insistence of Nnsir-ud-din Chiragh-i-Dchli clu1t Firoz Tugh luq accepted to take the reins of government in his hand. During the 40 years of Firoz Tughluq's rule Tnd iu

250 1' UE LIFI!: OF C ALIPH 1 AU witnessed exemp lary peace, crimes became fewer and a trend of moral uplift set in among the people. All this was achieved by the radiance of Chir~gh-i-Dehli.1;1 A11othcr purer soul descending from the Prophet was Syed Muhammad b. Yasuf of Gulbarga (popularly known as Khwaji:I Gcsu Dari:Iz). Besides being an erudite scholar he was also a perfect guide of the spiritual path credited with innumerable miraculous events. He was a progeny of Yahya b. Husain b. Zayd the martyr. Born in 731 / 1331 he d.icd in the year 8251 1422. Reputed religious scho lars used to refer to him difficult religious and legal problems while his guidance was sought for purification or the morals and spirit and betaking the path of righteousness. He was thus an adept both in learning and the path of mysticism. ~ Syed Ashraf Jahll:ngir b. Ibrlfhim wns yet another angelic soul. An Alid of both Hasani and HLL'iaini lineage, he was born at Samnan and brought up as the crown prince. He acquired education from tl1c eminent s<:holurs of his time and ascended the throne after the death of J1is father, but he continued his quest of knowledge under • Ala-ud-din Samnani and other scholars and spiritual guides. After wielding power for a time, he resigned in favour of his brother Muhammad and set out for fndia. He settled down at Kachawchaa3 where he guided the people in purification of self and perfection of spirit and invited the people to the mess:ige of God. Thousnnds of persons entered the fold of fslam th.rough his efforts. Syed Ashraf Jahangi:r Samnani wns aJso a reputed scholar and traveller. He has many works on law, jurisprudence, theological scholastics and mysticism to his credit. He was weUvcrscd in genealogy, biography and exegesis and has left a collection of his poelics. Syed Asltraf died 011 28th Muharram, 808/ 26th July, 1405. Although he spent his time in mystic exercises and spiritual gu idance of the people, he was not inattentive of the political developments and the future of nascent Muslim society and state in the country.

THE VIRTUOUS DESCENDANTS OF ',\I.I 251 When Raja Kans made preparations to capture Bengal, jeopardizing the freedom of a weak Muslim kingdom of the region, Syed Ashraf Juhangir Snmniini invited the attention of Sulta n (bra.him Sharqi and urged him to remove that dange r. Thus the region continued under Muslim authority enabling the Muslims to preserve their religious iden tity and culture.5• A g ifted mystic among these great spiriltml guides was Syed Adam Binnnu ri, a descendant o f Husain through Musa nl-Kazim. fnnumeruble people were benefited through his guidance. Jt is reported that four hundred thousand Muslims took the oath on his hand co tread the pat11 of .mmwh and u hundred thousand a ttained spiritual perfection. His hospice was alwnys crowded by at least u thousand persons every day, all of whom were provided food as well ns spiritual guidance by him. fn 1052/1642 lte went to Lahore with ten thousand followers. Shahjahan who happened to be present at the time at Lahore, felt alarmed by the popularity o f the Shaikh, and suggested him to go for Haj. The Shaikh we11t away to Hijiiz where 11fter pc rfonning the pilgrimugc, he sctclcd down in Medina and died there in I 053/J 643.ss The uninterrupted literary :md religious pursuit of the progeny of tltc Prophet would require an encyclopaedic volume to record it in aU its details. Therefore, skipping over the time and space we now come to the great reformer and spiritual guide of his time Suiyid Ahmad b. •rrran the martyi-66 ( 1201-1246,' 1748- 183 1) who is regarded by many a scholar as the renovator of faith in the thirteenth cenrnry of Tslamic era. The efforts made by him to breathe a new Life into the people awakened them to abide by the demands of their faith; 1he true content of tau/ml came to be understood and acted upon ; the path of s111111ah was betukcn again in Tndiu : and the fervour of Jihad, the cntlrnsiasm to lay down ones life for the sake of God, was generated so extensively that it became reminiscent of the earliest era of Tslam. The cournge and eagerness to enforce the shan'ah in the individual and coll ective life of the Muslims was rekindled under his guidance and a forceful and wide-based movement for

252 THE LfFE OF CALIPH ' AU the establisl1ment of an independent fslamic State' on tbe pattern of the right-guided caliph.ate came into existence. This movement took the sh.ape of an organised effort to liberate the country, which had for several centuries been under the authority or Muslim rulers, from the yoke of Englishmcn~7 who were slowly strengthe11ing their grip over it and tlueatening the freedom or all the Mu.~lim countries. His followers made heroic efforts and made exceptional sacriftces to achieve this end. The British administrators and b istorians of tl1c time had also realised the danger posed by the Saiyid's movement to their rule in rndia.G9 ft was, in short, a revivalist movement of its own kind jncomparable in the cecent past in any part of the Islrunic worldf>ll "A sign of God he was," says Nawub Siddiq Hasan Kh!!n ofBhopal (d. 1307/1890), a noted Arabist and scholar, "in guiding tlic people on the right path a11d making their hearts incline towards God. A very large number of these became pure-hearted saims through the potent influence exerted by him, while his spiritual successors sweepcd the country clean of nil innovations and polytl1cistic th.oughts and practices. They led the people on tlte patl1 of the Book und the s111111ah and one can still sec the change brought about by tl1e sermons of tl1ese saintly souls ...... Tn sfiort. tl1cre was none so godly and perfect of spirit in th.c whole world in th.osc days, nor was there any mystic or religiou.s scltolar who exerted such a salutary influence even. over one-tenth of the people as he did. " 00 'Abdul Ahad, an eminent scholar. had met scveml disciples of llte Saiyid. He says: " About forty th.ousa11d non-Muslims embraced Islam on tile hands of the Saiyid and three million Muslims took oath of fealty to him. If nil tlte people enterjng his spiritual fold through the efforts of his spiritllill successors were also taken into account, tlw number of such persons would run into crorcs. ''GJ. Freedoni Fighters in the Ara& World Several reformers, spiritual guides and freedom fighters of the Arab world citmc from the ranks of the Prophet's progeny

THE VIRTUOUS DESCENDANTS OF 'ALI 253 who fought the powerful and well-organised forces of European colonial powers with courage and determination. Many of these countries regained their freedom through their efforts. We shall mention here only two of these valiant fighters. These accounts have been taken from the /fazir al-lslami of Am\r Sltakib Arsalan. He writes about Am1r 'Abdul Qadir al-Jaza'iri : "Amir 'Abdul Qadi1 .. s full nnme is 'Abdul Qr1dir b. Muhi-ud-din Hasani. His forefathers were Saiyids belonging to NorUt Africa. Born in 1223/1808, he was brought up in a rel igious family engaged in pursuit of learning. He devoted h imsclfto ncquisition of knowledge and became well-versed in literature, law, tl1eological seholnsticism and philbsophv. At the same time he continued to take train ing in martial arts including horse-riding. Alorng with his scho larly attainments he became a skilled marksman and cavalier. He became equa lly proficient botb in pen and the sword which earned popular regard for him. After the death of his father, he consolidated l1is authority over the midregion of North Africa and was recognised as the ruler of these areas. A number of adjacent provinces acceded to the state headed by him. On the day ofYaum al-Maqt'a (26tlt June, 1835) he inflicted defeat to the French army but subsequently lte had to suffer a defeat against the French General Bugcaud. However, he held on his entrenchment. Jn tJ1c treaty of Tafna , the French had to acknowledge ltis valour. The entire province of Dahran and a greater part of Algeria remained a part of his domin ion in accordance with this treaty. ~•Although the situation was grim, lte was never unheed· ful of establishing an Islamic State. He declaredji/iat/ against the French mn January> 1839 and continuously fought them till 1843. He fought, throughout this period, with such courage and determination that lte

254 THE UFE OF CALIP H 'ALJ became n legendary figure all over the world, but the military strength of the contenders being extremely d isproportionate, the enemy occupied most of the cities held by 'Abdul Qadir. At last the Algerian supporters of 'Abdul Qad ir also deserted him and the French consolidated their authority. Amir •Abdul Qadir took shelter in Morocco. He again mounted an attack on the F rench possessions in Algeria and his forces penetrated upto the settlements of the Berber tribes. He could not ga in any advantage out of it as. the French had already consolidated their power. Al last, he migrated to Syria and spent the rest of his life in Damascus where he kept th e company of the scholars and helped those whom he found in need. He wns a model of benignity a11d God-consciousness.. He d ied in 1883 and was buried at Al-Salehyah in Damascus".112 Amir Sh.akib Arsalan has given the following account of Saiyidi Ahmad As-Sharjf al-Sinnausi who was a descendant o f Hasan b. 'Ali. " fn Saiyidi Ahmad al-Shurlf ul-Sinnausi I have seen a man who was an erudite scholar with breadth of vision and a great teaclier and guide with a dignified bearing. r have not seen in my life a man more noble and exalted in demeanour. With his kingly bearing he combined agility and watchfulness, sweet temperament, magnanimity, wisdom and insight and practical intelligence. His memory was strong and his personality was imposing. Although he was very soft-spoken, everyone found it difficult to speak before him out of respect for him. ··I have witnessed sucb a remarkable power of endurance in him that would ibe seldom found in anyone among his contemporaries. He had an exceptionally strong will-power and his face had a radiant look. If he was an 'elect' by virtue of his spirituality and God-couscjousncss, he was heroic by re<1son of his courage and

TAE VIRTUOUS DESCENDANTS OF 'AU 255 valour. During the battles of Tripoli (as T have beard ) he used himself to lead · his troops, riding llis horse for as many as ten how-s at an strech without ·reeling the least tiredness. He used to defy every danger and advance deep into the enemy ranks where the m il itary -commanders were forbidden to go lest they fell inro the ltands of the enemy in tile case of dcfcat." i 3 Nores a11d Rt'fttrences : ~. Abti Nu•aym lsbahani, Hilyat«I Alll/jla Tabaqilt aJ..Asfiyti, np. 'Cit., Vo l. tr, Part lH, p. 41, 2. Ibid, p. lJS. ). Ibid. p. 136 4. Ibid, p, 13li 5. Ibid, p. 135 ri. ibid, p. 56 7. lbicl, p. sG 8. Tbit!, p. 56 9. Commonly known as Shah Bano. 10. Flilyat11/ A11/i)1a, op. cit., Vol. ll, p. 19~, I I. Ibid, p. 193 12. Abu Zuhra, Al·lmom al-Sidiq, Beirut, p. 7'/ 13. Miisa b. J'afar b- Muhammad b. •Ali. M. lbn J auzi, ' lz-ud-dm, Sifat-u~Safwali. Hyderabad, ~55 A.H .. Vol. It. p. 103. IS. tbn 'Asiikir, T orfkli Dumrslrq al•Kabir, Bcitut1 1919, Vo l. tv, pp. 165·69. IG. Al-Maliez meaning authentic and perfect was added to his name since his father was the son o f Hasan a nd his mother a daughter o f Husain. Thus. he was n perfect Alid or descendant of 'Ali. 17. Tarik/J Damlshq al·Kabir, op_ cir., Vol. lV, pp. 35'1·6().. .18. Al-Bicloyolr, 0(1. cit .• Vol. IX. p. 42 19. lbkl. Vol. X, p. 95 20. Al-Kami/, op. cit .• Vol. V, p. 553 21. Ibid, Vol. V, pp. 547•48

256 THE LIFE. OF CALIPH 'ALI 2 2. Al-Bidoyah, op. cir. Vol. IX. p. 106 23. Jbn Khalllkio, Wafyti r a/-A'iim, Cairo, 1948, Vol Il p. 434. 24. Ibid, II, p. 434. 25. Hilyatul Auffya, op. cit. Vol. II, Part Ill. p. 136. 26. Ibid, U, p. J~7 27. Ibid, 111 p. 138 28. Trriklt Damishq, op , rir .• Vol. IV, pp. 165-69. 29. Al-Bidoyah, op., cit., Vol lX, p. 171. 30. Abi al-Farj lsbah:i:ni, Maqatil af-T0/1bi11., Bciiut, p. 126. I. Q. 59: JO. 32. Si/at al-Sa/wait, op, cit , Vol. ll, p. 55. 33. Ibid, II, p. 185. 34, Ibid, II, p. 185. Another version o r the report says: 'Who make fun or them.' 35. Ibid, II, p. 185. 36. Tirrikh Domisliq, op. cir., pp. 357-58. 37. A few works that can be mentioned here by way or illu lrat ion arc the author's Seerar Syed Ahmad Sltahid in Urdu covering 1176 pages. Another work entitled Syed Ahmad Sltohid by G uliim Rasul Mehr is in four volumes. The writer of these lines has also written Iza Habbat Raih al Imam in Arabic and Jab Iman Ki Ballar Ayi in Urdu. Mohiudin Ahmad's Saiy id Ah11111d S/raliid-Bi.v Life and Missio11 is also a defi nitive work on the subject in English. Amir Shakib Arsalin has collected valuable informatio n about the Sinnausi Movement in B1rqa and the Ji/r(u/ of 'Abdul Qadir in Algeria in Vol. II of the Bszir a/-• Alam al-lslomi. 38. T he Brothe rs of purity (lkl11va11-11s-Safa) was a society of rrce thinkers uo<.luely impressed by the Greek Phflosonhy with clandestine end~. For details ee Tarikli FulsO.fali al lslam ft al-Mashriq wal Maghrib, Cairo, 1349/1927, by Muhamm1d Lutfi Jum'ah. 39. Historians arc on record tbnt Idris b. 'Abdullah (b. Abdallah b. H asan) who wa; also known as ldri, Akbar (d. 175/791) was the fonder o f M uslim rule in North Africa. It was also becaui e of his concilia tory attitude th:tt t he Berbers embraced Islam in large numbers. 40. As stated in Hakim Syed • Abdul Hai'$ N11zho1 a/-Klrawotir, 'Ali b. Shih lib Isr:na'il. b. 'Ali. b. Muhammad b 'Ali b. Husain came to Kashmir in 773/ l 371 or 780/ 1378. A majority o f its people accepted Islam due to his endeavours. (Vol. U, p. 85). fslamic culture and learning owe their origin to him. Later on Kashmir gave birth to several erudite scholars.

THE VIRTUOUS PESOENOANTS OF <ALl 257 41. Th'! northern parl of Borneo Isla nd 42. Al-\lf11dkftil Ila Torfk/1 al-Islam ft. us Sliarq al ,4qsa by Syed 'Alavi b. Tahir a l·A:iddii (Jedda, 1405) gives the dcta.ils of these ende.avour~. 43. He was a descendant of' Ali with ten intervening links. 44. •Umar aJ-Kay£1ni, Qala'id al-Jawi liar, Egypt, 1303 A. 1-L. p. 22. 45. T. W. Arnold's Preac/Ji11g of Islam and Hazfr al •.J/am al-ls.lam;, Vol. 11 by Amir Shaiiib Arsallin, give detailed accounts o f the elfQrts o f thc ~ pre ·chers of [slam. 46. lbn Rajab aH-lanbali ~ays t hat Sha ikh 'Abdul Qadir was a Hanbalile fo llowing the earlier scholars of hadith. In theological matters like the attributes of God and reality of destiny he accepted the Prophet's exposition o f c issues rejecting a ll subsequent intcl'pretation~- 47. A deta iled acc\lunt of the life and achievements of the' c paragons o f pirl uali y can bo ~con in Hakim Syed 'Abdul Hai's N112hu111/ al-Khawiilir, Vol. JI and Ill. 48. Nuzliatul Kltawrtlr, op. cit., Vol. HJ. pp. 155-56. 49. Zia-ud-din Baml, Tiirfklt Fim: Sliahi, Calcutta. 1862, p. 341. : o. N11zliat11/ Klta1rotfr, OP. <'it. , Vol. II pp. 155-56. 51 . Zia-ud-din B1rni, Torikli Fir<n Shah/, op. cit., Urdu translation by the same name by Syed Moinul Haq, Lahore, 1983 , pp. 753·56. 52. N11zlta111l Khawatlr, op. cir., Vul. lU, pp. 146-160. 53. A town in Faizabad district o f Vilar Pradesh. 54. Makatib Syed Asltra/ Jaha.ngir, letter No. 46 pp. 96-97, Maulana Azad Library MSS, M. U. Aligarh: Prof. KhlliQ Ahmad Nizami, Toriklt Maska'ikli-i-Chisflf, p. 756. 55. Nuzlrat11! Klutwotir, op cit., VoJ. V, p. 201. 56. He was n descendant of Muhammad Dhu an-Nafs as·Zakiyah (b. 'Abdullah al·Mahez b. Hasan al-Muthanna b. Has an b. 'Ali). His forefather Shaikh-ul-h lam Syed Qutb·ud-din M uhammad ca.me to India in the seventh century, captured many c ities and forts, and settled down in Kar.1 Manikpur. .A number of scholars, reformers and spiritual guides were born in hi~ lineage amo ng whom-Saiyid Ahmad Shahid w1s lhe mo t distinguished. 57 The letters written by S.iiyid Ahmad to the some of the rulers of (ndian States and others clearly speak of the danger from the foreigners and the need to liberate the country from them. See Mohi-ud-d in Ahmad, Saiyid Ahmad Sflaliid-His Life a11d Mission, Lucknow, 1975, pp 125-26. 58. W. W. Hunter, The /11dia11 Musa/11ums, London, 1876, p, 80; Syed Mohiuddin AJ11nnd, Saiyid Ahmad Shahid, op. cit • pp. 375-394 ; Qiyam-ud-din Ahmad. Tiie Wulmbi Moveme11t i11 flldia, Calcutta, 1966· PP· 86-87, 335.

258 THE LlFE OF CALIPll 1 ALJ 59. Seo A Mls11ndcrstuod Reformer by the author as well as /iii. Habbat Ralh al-Iman in Arabic and Jab Iman Ki Bahar ify. in Urdu by him. 60. Nawab Siddiq H:.t.san Khan. Tiqsor-o-Ju.vad al-Alirar, Bhopal. 1298 A.H., pp. 10-110. 61. M~hammad J'afar Thinesri. Sawaneli Altmadf, Delhi, 1309 A.H., p. 95. 62. Amir Shakib Arsaliin, Hazfr a/-·Jflam al·Islami, Egypt, 1352 A.H .. Vol. II, pp. 168-173. 63. Ibid, p, 15!i·60,

XII CJ'HE SHl'l'IE DOGCJ'RINE OF IMAMA'lE The discussion in the foregoing pages has made it abundantly clear that the members of the Prophet's household subscribed to the accepted faith of Islam which they had received from the Prophet. rt consisted of tau/ml. the oneness of God 'and finality of prophethood. rt was the foith held by the great majority of Muslims, the ahl-i-sunnar. that the revelation from God had ceased, the faith of Islam had taken its fina l shape and the grace und blessings of God in this world as well as deliverance in the hereafter rested on placing trust in these doctrines. They knew that the God has said : " Today I have perfected your religion for you, and T have completed My blessing upon you, and J have approved rSLAM for your reLigion.1 Now there remained no possibility of any new prophet being sent by God nor was any new methodology to be adopted for l::iw-mnking under the sliari·ali. No addition or substraction was to be made now in the basic doctrines of Islam. •Ali b. Abi Talib and his descendants firmly held, as their biographical accounts and related li terature show, these very articles of faith. Sufya n relates from Mutrif, und Mulrif from Sh'aby, on the authority of Abu Hujayfah : " l asked 'Ali whether he had received anyth ing directly from the Prophet in addition to the Qur'an

260 THE LIFE OF CALCrH 1 ALI (whfoh was nol known to others).2 He replied, •r swear by Him who cleaves the seed and gives birth to every sentient being that I have nothing save the intelligence which is bestowed by God to a few for the comprehension of the Qur'an, and that which I have in writing.'a On being asked further what he had in writing 'Ali said , "Fine for manslaughter of a Muslim, release of prisoners and that a Muslim is not to be slain for n disbeliever."" Psychological Backdrop of Imamate The members of the Prophet's household had given faith to the creed held collectively by all the Muslims, they considered th·cmselves bound to follow the Qur'iin and U1e su1111ah like any other Muslim. Tlicy knew that onl y one's actions and morals and learning and awe of God entitled anyone to be respected by others They were convinced of the correctness of the Quranic dictum : Lo ! 1/ie 11ob'es1 of Y•'"· in 1he sight of Al!ah. is the best i11 conduct." Subsequently, however, the bygone tradition of holy order propagated by ancient religions and nurtured by the :mtiquatcd thought and culture o f Greece, fran, India and China, reasserted itself among a section of the 11ew converts to Islam. The ancient tl1ought, almost universally accepted, had been that the families which had somehow come to asswne a sacred character through their religious functions or travails or by attaining higher spirituality, were incarnations of supernatural power and agents of gods 6 They had a special position, above the law, and enjoyed powers to make and unmake the law. There are certain prcdilection.c; and subjective factors that make this doctrine acceptable to the people. l. It serves as a protection against personal rcsponsiblity and accountability since, the precept shifts the liability to the particular family, class of persons or an ind ividual representing lhat family :llld class, and it is just enough 10 have confidence in them. 2. Tt is easier to submit to any particular family or individuals by placing confidence in or showing reverence and

'l'HE SHl'rrE DOCTRlNE 01~ h1AMA1'E 261 obedience to them than to abide by a complete code of canons prescribing injunctions for au matters which are further elucidated by juristic opinions of the scholars. 3. To exploit any particular family or an individual or even a group of persons for one's profit is comparatively easier ~rnd the smoothest way to ach ievc power and prestige. This method can be helpful to any crafty person in realising his selfish ends through a little effort by gaining confidence of a person or family deemed as infallible by the people, while fame and honour and popularity among the masses demand hard and continuous labour. Many a machinvcllian person had utilized this method to his personal advantage. The Atlrna 'Ashari sect has found th is creed (o f racial and hereditary S'.tnctity) helpful in s::curing its political and personal end~ and th at is why it was cloaked with s·.tcredness as an article of fa ith. This secl allowed itself to believe that the successors of chc Prophet and the Im1ms are appointed by God who arc impeccuble like the messengers of God. They hold that it is incumbent on every Muslim co obey them since they enjoy parity with the P.rophet of fslam and are higher in rank tl1an other apostles of God. The obligation man owes to God cannot be fulfilled in the absence of an rm'lm nor the obedience to God is complete without knowing the rmrrm. Tlte world would not last 'without a rmam and to know him is. an essential postulate of the faith. The obedience to the Jmams is similar to that of the prophets and they have the authority to declare anyth ing lawful as unlawful o r vice vers3.. As the Imllms are innocent and si1tless like tl~c prophets of God, one who gives faith to their impeccability bec.omcs entitled to paradise even if he were a tyrant or wicked. The lmams are on a par with the blessed Prophet but higher than all other created beings. The deeds of all are brought to the notice of the fm'tms twice, in the day and the night, and the angels call upon them at all times. They experience Ascension every Friday night; on occasion of Lai/at11l Qadr (the Night of Power) every year they receive a new scripture from God ; they

THE L I FE OF CALIPH AU have aulhority over life and death and govern this world and ihe next with full powers to award whatever they like to anyone.7 The following report finds a place in the Usu/ al-Kafi : "Hasan b. •Abbas al-M'arali wroce to Imam 'Ali Raza : •May r be u ransom for you. Kindly tell me the difference between an apostle and a prophet and an Imam.' He wrote in reply : 'The difference between an apostle and a prophet and an Cmam is that Gabriel comes to an apostle who sees and hears tl1e angel, receives revelations of God through him and often secs him in a dream as d id Abraham. A prophet sometimes hears Gabriel and often sees him too. An Tmam bears the angel but docs not sec him.''8 The noted historian Tbn Kl1aldun has given an ob~ective description of the Shi'ite doctrine of Imamate. He says : " For the Shi'ites the rmamatc is not one of tl1e social requirements left to the discretion and wisdom of the community. nor the person vested with that authority is elected by the Muslims. Imamate is rather an essential arLicle of faith, a t\Lndamcntal creed of Islam to them. No prophet can ignore it, nor entrust the responsibility of his election to his followers. rt is the duly of the prophet to appo int an Imam for the community of believers and such an Imam is unblemished, clear of all sins, major and minor. 'Ali was the person whom che Prophet of fslam had (in tbe light of reports narrated and the creed held by them) appointed to that office. " 9 lbn Kha ldan furtlicr says : "There are over-credulous sects among them which exceed the limits of faith and reason by assigning divinity to the fmams. They maintain that the Jmams were human beings but they possessed divine attributes or God had entered into their human frame. fnfusion of divine spirit or ' the Word made flesh' is in . fact a Christian creed in regard to Jesus Christ. Those subscribing to

THE SHI'O'E POC'tRINE OF lMAMA'rf. 263 th is creed about 'Ali were got burnt by him When Muhammad b. nl-Hanafiyah was informed chat Mukhtar b. •Ubayd had faitJ1 in th is creed, he imprcc:ited upon him and declared that he had nothing to do with such a belief. The behaviour of J•afar Sadiq with such credulous persons was also the same. "These sects also include th ose who believe chat the sublimity possessed by the rmams cannot be attained by any body else and hence when an fmam dies, that sublimity is transferred to the succeeding Imam. · Th is creed is known as inc:irnation or transmigration: 10 · The concept of Imamate has been maintained by the Athna 'Ashari sect down the ages without any change or modification becau"e it constitutes 011e of its fundamenta l articles of belief. This is the creed still held by it including Imam Khomaini who writes in the Al-Hukii.mat-a/-fs/lJmiyah: " The Tmam occupies the glorious station, the supreme place, and wields such a delegated aut hority of genesis that everything in this universe submits to his surpassing glory. In accordance with the accepted tenets of our religion neither any angel of tl1e highest rank nor anyone such as a prophet can attain the sublime position of an Tmam. As related in our ahadM1 the Great Prophet and the fmams existed before the creation of this cosmic order in the fo rm of light, encircling the Throne of God and enjoyjng such propinquity to Him as known only to God. "11 The unhealthy influence exerted by such an exaggerated concept of [mamate has been noticed even by the non-Muslim scholars. Patric Huges writes in the Dictionary of !slam : "Many of the Shi'ahs have carried their 1 vcneration for 'Ali as far as to raise him to the position of a divine person, and most of the sects make their Imams partakers of divine nature:•u Another western scholar, W. lvanow, says in the Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islam :

264 THE LIFE 0 1' CALIP H 'ALl "With the ligh t of ln:amat continuaUy flowing into the world, the institute of prophetsh ip, or a post Lesh ip, occupied only an anxiliary position ...... .. .13 Iranian Inftuence fn fact, a delicate doctrine like the rmamate, which goes beyond racial and lineal chauvinism to raise the status of Imams ro the position of divinity, reflects the ancient creed of Tran in the divine origin of kings. Jn the ancient Iran religious and temporal authority was concentrated in the hands of a tribe known as Media. After Zoroastrianism consolidated its hold on Lhe country, religious leadership came to be held by the alMogl1an tribe. The caste ridden fran had a priestly class which was believed to be the shadow of God on earth; all men were created to serve tltat class and the class itself was for the service of God. ft was, therefore, essential that ruler of the country should belong to the pri~stly tribe. In the estimation of the franians the ruler was an incarnation of God and it was his prerogative to officiate as the chief priest at the fire-alter.u Dr. Ahm'.ld Ain:n, a11 eminent Egyptian scholar quotes Dozy in the Fajr (l/-lslci111. . "Iranians equ<tted their monarch \yith God and paid a similar regard to the royal family. They held that the obedience of the r.ml m (the ruler) was nor only obligatory but submission 10 him also meant obedience to God."15 Such an abso lute rell~mce on any pa~ticular family or class of persons and acceptance of its monopoly of religious and tcr:nporal leadership had Jed the followers of certain ancient religions to bend their knees fore human beings instead of God and numbed their freedom of thought and intellectua l capacities by festering their minds and setting in stagnation umong them. Ofcentimcs people have been mercilessly .exploited socially and economically because of this way of though~ . Jn the medieval ages letters of atonement and redemp1fon and keys to ,.

THE SHI' ITE DOCTRINE OF IMAMATE 265 the heaven were sold by the Popes.1& The blind faith in the church led t:o a bloody struggle between science and the priesthood17 which ultimately led to the separation of state and religion and then to the reje<:tion of everything connected with faith Secularisation of the state accepted by Muslim countries has unnecessarily and without any justification pushed them to a constant internal conflict between their ruling class and the masses who desire Islamic laws to be enforced as the law of the lm1d in these countries. They are now wasting their energy and resources in their internal strife instead of conserving them to fight their enemies. Imamate is a concept parallel to prophethood but the worst part of it is that it confers dictatorial powers on those who wield authority and makes them competent to legislate new laws or abrogat_e divine laws. Slavish submission to such rulers, if they also happen to be religious leaders, has empowered these rulers with the authority to invalidate even the obligatory practices of Jslmn for political reasons They exercise this authority by virtue of their claim to be appointed by God and representing the sinless Imams. A recent example of it is furnished by the message of Imam Khomeni to Syed 'Ali Khamnai published in the Kayhan, the organ of Iranian government in its issue no. 182 dated 23rd Jamadi al-Ula, 1408 A.H. The message said: "Government can suspend or order demolition of any mosque: the government takes precedence over prayers nnd fasting. The government is directly derived from 1·he prophethood and constitutes its initial and fundamental commandment. It, therefore, has priority over secondary directives including those relating to prayer, fasting and pilgrimage. The ruler has the authority to suspend any mosque, and if need arises, to order demolition of any mosque. It can scrap even Islamic precepts, whether they pertain to devotional exercises or any other matter, if they appear to be injuring the interest of Islam. Tf the government deems it to be in the interest of the Tslamic State, it can suspend pilgrimage

266 '!'HP, LlFP, OF CAl.IPn 'AI.I although it is one of the important obligatory devotional exercises of Tslam. Jt is because the government in itself represents the autonomous vicegerency of God."18 Now it is manifestly clear that the suspension or abrogation of obligatory religious practices or making changes in the religious injunctions having the sanction of the Qur'IIn and the liadHh by any individual, whether because of his juristic opinion or in view of political expediency, is extremely dangerous for an eternal religion. Jt can result in apostasy of an Tslamic country or nation. Such a blind obedience to the government can render religion ineffe.ctive and pave the way to a situation which cannot be overcome later on. The fruitless conflict between Tran and fraq which lingered on for several years and inflicted great harm to both the countries illustrates the dangers inherent in this concept. This internecine war came to an end in August 1988 with great difficulty, owing to the huge losses and destruction and internal unresl in one country, and the intervention of the super powers in the other. The Tmamate wielding absolute power and demanding unquestion ing obedience becomes a dictntorship which can be a menace to world peace; il can endanger peace, law and order, agriculture and trade, in short, the very existence of human race. Dictatorships have posed similar lhrents to humanity in earlier times too. But, whei:t such an absolute and tyrannical authority nsswnes sanct ity ·under religion, claims to be faultless and deems itself as commissioned by God by representing prophethood, its perilous threat increases manifold. ft can be suicidical for a country or 11ation or the sect giving faith to it and there would be no escape for it from this danger. This concept of exaltation and veneration of any group or class of pt.:rsons gives rise to parasites who are indolent and indiscreet. They sqm1nder national wealth on their own pleasure and amusement, increase unemployment among the people, open the door to the tyrannical feudal sys~em of the medieval ages, and sow the seeds of stagnation in the intellectual and religious

'rHE SHl'l'l'f: l)OCTRlNE OF IMAMATI' 267 spheres. Th.c chosen few ex.plait the working classes, fundamenial:rights of the citizens arc trampled down and a class of worJ.-- shy and lazy people comes fortl1 which profits by the Jabour of others. Verily, God has said in truth : 0 bcl ievers, many of the rabbis and monks indeed consume the goods of the people in \'anity and bar from God's way.10 The blind and zealous obedience of Tmiim Khomeini by his followers investing him with a sacrosanct authority so long as he lived, amply demonstrates that tltis concept violates the shan•a!i and is against the notion of tuu/,1tl, thus explained by the Qur'an. rt belongs not to any mortal t11at God should give him the Book, the Judgement, the Prophcthood, then he should say to men, •Be you servants to me apurt from God.' Rather, •Be you masters in that you know the Book, and in that you study.' He would never order you to take 1he angels and the prophets as Lords. What, would He order you to d isbelieve, after you have surrendered (to Allah) !!O International news agencies reported that when Ayatullah Khomeini died on 3rd June, 1989 nt Tahran, the Iranian government made arrangements to convey his corpse to the Jannat-iZuhra cemetery on a vehicle but the people burst in on the corpse in such large numbers that it became impossible to carry it on tl1e vehicle. A helicopter was engaged to carry the corpse to the cemetery but there, too, the frenz ied crowd of millions crashed in to take away the shreds of his coffin as a relic leavinJ; the corpse naked. Repeated announcements, wornings nnd even shots fired in the air had absolutely no effect on the mob, the nuked corpse fell down on the ground and ultimately tJ1c government had to postpone the burial which took place after several hours. News reports also say that the frMinn government intends 10 build n magnificent mausoleum for him which will be finest in t11e world. It would be designed on the pattern of K •abn and

268 'l'HE LIFE OF CAL'IPH 1 ALf the tomb of fmfun •Ali Raza. Obviously. billions would be spent on it to make it another Taj Mahal o f Agra. All this is nothing but a manifestationof the creed of rrnamatc endued with divinity: vesting mortals with impeccability and sanctity undeserved by human beings. ft is elevation of man to the starus of supernatural being which had been done away with by the teachings of the Prophet. The most reliable and authentic (eports about the characte( and behaviour of the Prophet tell us that he never Liked any d istinctive treatment for bim nor apprnved of any exaltation as the followers of other religions usually did about the ir prophets. He bade his followers simply to treat him as an Apostle and servant of God Anas is reported as saying chat : .. Nobody was dearer to us than the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, but we never stood up (as a mark of respect) for him because we knew that he disliked it."~1 .. When someone addressed the P'rophct as •o best of the creation', he replied, 'This is the status enjoyed by Abraham, peace be ·u-pon him ."~~ •Umar b. al 4Khattab relates that the J>'(ophet said: Do not extol me like t he Christians who glorify •(sa ibtJ Ma ryam. T am a servant of God. rr you have to say an.ything about me say on ly that I am a servant and' apostle of God ... z:r The Prophet of Tsl:un tried his bes< tha1 his- followers should not commit the m istake of magnifying and paying. tribute to him bordering to divinity like the followers. of other prophets, who sometimes exalted even the learned and the e lecL amongst them in a similar manner. Just before the Prophet yielded his breath, he said: •May God ruin the Jews. and Christians for they have rurned the sepulchers- of their Prophets into places of worship.'~' •A ish.n and Tbn •Abbas relate- that when the time for theApostle'!l eterna l rest drew nigh , he pulled a sheet over his face and then feeling restless removed it. re was in this condition. lhat h.c bad uttered these wo~ds. He meant fo- warn Muslims

'\'ftE St-tr lTI! DOC1'RlNE o·r IMAMATP. 269 :against that practice. The Prophet always forb:ide lamentation and beating of breast over anybody's death. The purpose was to create an ;ibiding faith in the Almight.Y which was to be evinced through air' utterances and deeds of the Muslims, His guidru'ICc and l rai11ing was fully demo11srrated by the action of his followers when he died. His eompan ions loved and revered him as nobody has ever been loved-more than their own selves, their belongings ~nd children - but nobody sihcd a tear nor gave expression to his sorrow in the manner forbidden by the Prophet. Not even 'Ali, Hasan and Husain, who were nearest to him, showed up their :agonising distress It was because all of them had an unflinching faith in tauht.d, the oneness of God. Contrarily, the lame11tation of the rranians brought Up with 'the belief in impeccability and consecration of Imamate, which k·eflccts their ancient Zoroastrian creed, found expression in their :mourning for a man as if he were a h a!Jowed and angelic being. Notes and Refere11ces : .. Q. 5: ~. 2. The question \"ittS askeJ sl nee Cetta1n pctsoM he1d the view that 'All had been told ccttian thi\\gs secretly by the Prophei which were nol known to othen;. :!. That is, what nnc is lo be levied fot motnslaughter of a Muslim and how it is to be distributed among the heirs of such a person. . M11snad al-/1110111 Almrntl b. flanbal (M1trnacl •11i1 b. 'Ab'/ Ta~ih). ~. Q. 49 : 13 (J. Er1cJ)c/opaedia Brita1111ica (1'9S~) , Vol . 26, pp, 1041-45. (. Summarised from Usu! 'a" al-Ja1110111'e al-!G'fi by Al-Kulain h Muham1md b. Yaqiib al-Rnzi. lran) 1281 A. H., pp·. 103•959 and Sltarf1 Usill al-K~fi. Vol. [(, p. 229, '8. Usaf al-KrJi, p. 82 '9. l bn Khnldun, Muqaddt1111alr lb11 Klwldli11, (ed). • Ab'dul Wahid W«fi. Egyph p. 138. IO. Ibid, p. 590. l 1. 'Allama Khomeini, A/-Hukiimm-O/-/slamijoa/J, Kutubkhana Ruzurg lsllmh Tehran, p. S2

270 THE Lil'E OF CALCJ>H ' ALI ) 2. Patrick HugcQ, DicJionary of Islam, London, 1885, p. 475. J 3. Gibbs, H. A. R., nod, Kr.1mers J.H. Shortu £11cydopaedia c>/ /.flam, Leiden, 1953, p. 166 14. Sec Torikh al-Diyanatll 11l-Z11rd11shtlya nm.I 0ther historical literature on Iran. J5. Dr. Ahmad Amin, Fajr al-ls/Om, Egypt . p. 277 16. It is reported that Imam Khomeini a lso gave similar guarantees 10 those enlisting for active service during the (ran-Iraq war. 17. Sec Draper's Can/lier Be/111/!l!fl Religion am( Sl'it'11ce for details. 18. The Daily Kayh'On, Issue no. 182, dated 23rd J 1madi al-Ula, 1408 A.H . 19. Q . 9: 34 20. Q . 3 : 79-80. 21. Tirmidl1i; M11s11atl Ahmad. 22. Sahih Muslim . 23. Sahih Bukliiirl. 24 . Ibid.

XIII CJ:HE FIRS'1' FOUR GAhIPllS An appraisal or the right-guided caliphate comprising the rule of first four Ca liphs as a fortuitous combination of persons, brought together by the Providence, although they differed in their deporlment, objectives und working or that they pursued different policies and programmes witlt tlteir varied outlooks and inclinations and had nothing in common except their unflinching raich and sincerity, truthfulness and piety is, to the writer or these lines, not at all justified. Those who are discerning and analytical divide this period of cnliphatc into two stages. The first part is viewed by them as the span of Islamic expansion and onward march and the second as that of its stagnation and recession. They identify the first period with the rule of Abu Bakr and 'Umur uud the later spell with Lite regimes of •uthman ancl 'Ali. To me such a division is presumptuous. Tn my view a ll the four Caliphs characteristically reflected the vicegerency of prophethood. Apart from their personal merits and distinctions, each of them displayed the aura of right-guided caliphate to the point of perfection. This raises the question: What right-guided ca liphate really means? Right-guided caliphate is neither expan· sion of the £slmnic realm nor brilliant conquests nor yet incessant success against lteavy odds. If this were the criterion, wc would have to acknowledge Walid b. 'Abdul Malik and Rarun al-Rashid as the most vfrtuous caliphs! Right-guided c.alipltate is, in fact,

272 THE LlFE OF OAL!Pll 'AU the championsl\ip of the Prophet's mental attitude and way of life . Then, what was the Prophet's frame of mind? Jt was to give credence to mute realities, the truths beyond the ken of human perception : the sincere-most disposition to obey God, willingness to forgo the present for the sake of future and adopting the means for that end: to give precendence to the after-life over the life of the world and to abstinence over affluence ; and finally, to derive leasl benefit from worldly estate and effects and allow others to have the maximum advantage. These va lues depict the life of the Prophet wh ich can be seen from tl\e pages of his biography. Their practica l demonstration is to be found in the battle~ of Badr and Trenches, in the journey to Tabuk, in the treaty of Hudaybia, in th.e conquest of Makkah, and in the 33 years of hjs frugal life after being commissioned to prophethood. rts injtial stage is represented by his confinment in the Sh'eb Abi Talib and the final one by the night when he died without even a earthen lamp in his house and his chain-mail having been already pawned fo r with a Jew 30 Si.'s of barley. Viewed from th is angle the lives and the regimes of the first four Ca liphs and the period of their rule would be found to be following the pattern of Prophet's frame of mind and life. Abu Bakr's extraordinary grit and firm resolve to fight the unruly Arabs who had abandoned rslam just after the death of the Prophet; his decision to despatch the troops under Usama in order to fulfil h is master's last wishes at the time when the city of Medina had to be defended against the idolatrous tribes of the Peninsula; his decision to wage war against the two most powerful empires of the day at that critical juncture arc symbolic of his faith and obedience to God which cannot be seen elsewhere, save in the lives of the apostles of God and their successors blessed witJ1 vaulting ambition At the same time we find him leading a simple life, taking a stipend from lhe public treasury on ly as much as was essenttial to keep the body and soul together, denying even a sweet-dish to his wife and children and then asking to refund whatever amount he had drawn from the treasury by selling his private property after his death-all

THE FIRST FOUR CALIPHS 273 these furnish a paradigm of perfect selflessness, a characteristic of the prophets of God. Tn a similar way 'Umar's absolute faith in God in the decisive battles of Yaanak and Qadesia fought against the Byzantine and the Iranian empires; his deposing of Khalid b. Walld; the most successful and popular general, and appointment of the gentle and kind-hearted Abu ' Ubayda to take his place just before the battle of Yarmiil<.; his strictness with the governors and military commanders; his decision to allow vcngenance to a poor Bedouin against labia b. al-Ayham, a chieftain and ruler of his tribe, show the same characteristic of Prophetic manner and conduct. 'Urnar's refusal to take anything not available to the common man during the days of a severe famine and his insistence on it so obdurately that his death was apprehended in case the famine lasted for some time more, is enough to show his simple habits, austerity and frugality-the traits he had inherited from the Prophet and his predecessors. Similarly the co,urageous defiance of ' Uthman to the demands of the rebels and giving preference to die than resign under duress; absolute simplicity in his mode of living despite his affluence and riches; entertaining the guests of the state and others with sumptuous meals and himself taking only bread with olive oil constituted the robe of caliphate he had refused to abandon. These were also the distinguishing marks of the Prophet's cousin and the last right-guided Caliph. The battles of Jamal and Siffin have beclouded the lustre of a shining trait which he possessed in the snme degree as found in the life and regime of his first three predecessors. 'Ali's refusal to do anything that compromised with his principles and precepts to strengthen his rule; deposing of high officials not conforming to his high standard of piety and morality; the decisions taken by him to preserve the high standard of caliphate; his life of constant struggle without showing signs of fatigue, complete disregard for the praises of friends and critfoism of the enemies; bis sense of duty and humility, self-abnegation, honesty and love for truth demonstrate the perfection of his faith. Those betaking

214 THE LU:E OF CALtrH ' A U the path of the Prophet's sunnah realise that •Ali had to face an entirely different and a more difficult situation than his predecessors but his actions and policies were moti\'ated by the same sense of duty and unflinching fait11 in God as his predecesso rs. Certain historians and scholars unable to fathom the nature of events and circumstances faced by 'Ali consider these as internal strife and rebellion but we consider 'Ali to be a victim of the obtaining state of affairs wJ1ich he tried to tack le with the best of his intentions and ability. Vfe believe that the Syrians made a discretionary mistake which. need not be condemned by us, but 'Ali, on his part, took the action dictated by his honesty of purpose and love for justice and truth which raised him by stages in nearness to God. His simple and frugal living reflected the self-abnegation of the Prophet, Abu BlLkr and •Umnr. His life of severe self-discipline was so demanding that no hermit or self-denier of his time could follow his example and his own officials and relatives including his brother 'Aqll b. Abi Talib found it too rigorous to be endured by them. The Propltct had, in truth and reality, inculcated such a perfect faith in God and the life to come in his companions that had re-shaped their behaviour and morals and life-sty le. 1t was this conviction which found an expression in their self-denial and frugality in all situations whether it was success or failure, poverty or affiucncc, mis'!ry or regency. The first four caliphs were the m iraculous rcprese1ttatives of this very faith and conviction and they are known as right-guided for they inherited and kept up th is classic quality of the Prophet to the pitch of perfection. But those wh.o were igno ~mt of the nature of this prophetic patrimony took the caliphate to be succession of a monarch, of enjoying the benefits and inheritance of kingship by the relatives of a ruler. It was certainly n mistaken view since the caliphate meant performing the dulies of the Prophet, of leading a life of austerity and self-abnegation, of taking the least und giving maximum possible benefits to the people, of undergoing greatest sacrifices for the welfare of o thers. There can be

TH3 FIRST FOUR Cl\LlPHS 275 no denying the fact thot nil the right-guided culiphs acquitted themselves of this onerous responsibility lo the full ness of their ability. Prophethood is really the vicegerency of God and caliphate the vicarship of the Prophet. God's independence of all that exists is one of the signiJicant divine attributes. God, as tltc Quran soys, fecdeth and is ne,•er fed. rt is beyond tJ1e competence of man to attain that stage, but the acme of o ne's perfection lies in providing maximum benefit to others while denying oneself ns much of it as is humanly possible. So far as the divine attribULe .feedelh is concerned, man ought to follow Him by being generous and courteous, and for nercr.fl.d he ought lo be self-denying and never being under an obligation of others. All the phases and junctures that Islam will have to pass through have, in my opinion, been symbolised within the short period of 30 years during which the right-guided caliphate existed. Tt furn ishes a model for all exigencies. How the faith in God should guide one's behaviour during the period of success can be found in the regime of Abu Bakr. What steadfastness and gratitude is required of a believer during the period of glory and grandeur is shown by the rule of •Umar. Patience and endurance dictated by conviction in God during a period of strife and rebellion and lnwlcssncss is revealed by the courage and sufferance of ·Uthmf1n and 'Ali. Had Islamic history to furnish on ly the precedent of ftrst two Caliphs, which are in reality the continued exemplification of lhc same type of situation, the guidnnce provided by the right-guided caliphate would have remained incomplete without a specimen to show the Muslims the way during the period of stress and difficulty. The nation of rstam had to abide to the end of time and therefore it needed paradigms fo r all eventualities, all the vicissitudes of life tllat man has to undergo. rt, therefore, requ ired illustrations o f botJ1 the types to guide its behaviour and morals and this need was fulfilled completely and in aU its aspects by this dual phase of the right-guided ca liphate io the initial period of fslamic history.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY 283 112. Vernon Mccasland, S. and Others, Religions of the World, New York, 1969. 113. WaJiull:Ih. Shah, ( I) Jzalat al-Kliifii 'an Klii/afat a/-Khu/f'ti Lahore, 1976; (2) H11jjal-Al/iih il-BllliKha, Egypt, l284 A.H. 114. Zarakshi, Badr-ud-din Muhammad b. Abdullah, Al-Burhan fl Uloom a/-Q11r'an, Dar al-Thya aJ-Kutub al-Arabiya, Beirut, 1970. II 5. Zarkali, Al A' film, Beirut, 1969.

INDEX A. Aaron, 43 Aban b. •Uthmin, 213 'Abbas, 19, 23, 24, 47, 56, 57, 74, 76, 80. 81, 104, 115. 170 !).bbaslds, 185, 222, 229, 232, 2391 .244 ' 'Abbas Mahmood al·' Aqqlid, 66, 67, 15, 120-122, 124, 128, 132, 138, 139. 163, 170 204, 205 'Abdul Ahad, 252 'Abdul Ghaffar b. Qi.;im, 238 ; 'Abdul Haq, 231 'Abdul Malik b. Umayr, 194 'Abdul Mu,ttalib, 168 •Abdul Muttalib b. Hashim, 14, 1 S, . 16, 22 'Abdul Muttalib b. .&abra b. al· Harith, 71 'Abdul Qiidir ai·Jazairl, 253, 254 'Abdullah a l·Mahe?:, 240, 243, 24~ 'Abdullah b. 'Abbas, 19, 24. 26, J.5, 36, s1. 14.2, 149, 152. 193, 212, 221, 225 'Abdullah b. ·Abdul Muttalib, 11. ~2. 70 'Abdullah b. Abi Yazid, 220 'Abdullah b. Hasan , 42,-240 : ' Abdullah b. J'afar, 20, 21, 142 'Abdullah Ibn Muslim b. Bibak (alias Bibki), 242 'Abdullah b· Sa'ad b.·Abi Sarah, 116, 117. 124. 125 'Abdullah b. Sabi .. 153, IS4, 155 'Abdullah b, Razrn, 182 . 'Abdullah b. ' Um1r, 77, 103, 107. 108. 111, 128, 193, 220-222, 225 'Abdullah b. •Uthinin, 23 'Abdullah b. Wahb al·Rasibi. 151 'Abdullah b. Zubayr, 37. 38, 128. 130 193, 221, 222, 225 'Abdu Munar. 16. 28 'Abdur Rahman, 224 'Abdur Rahman b. Abi Bakr, 107. 220. 222 ·Abdur Rahmin b. 'Abi Nu'aym, 77 •Abdur Rab.man b. 'Amr, 167 'Abdur R.ahmin b. 'Auf 79, LOO 104, 107, 111-113. 115 'Abdur Rahman b. Khabbib, 115 'Abdur Rahman b. Muljam, 153 'Abdur R!lhmin b. Rabi'a b. alBihili, 116 'Abdur Rahman b. Samurab, 115 . 'Abdur Rahmlin Zarlirah, 24. ' Abdur Razzllq, 77, 79 Abraha, 15 Abr.tham, 25, l 14, 262, 268 Abu Ahmad al-Askari. 22 Abu Amir. 216 Abu •Amr, 16, 22· Abu Ayyub Anslri. 193, 219 Abu Bakr, ,2S, 27, 44, 4S, 47, !JJ , 5S

286 TH'1 LlPE OF CALll'H 'ALI 56, 58-63, 67-70, 73-76. 79- 84. 91, 95. JOB, J13 , 119, 12: , 123, 135, 144. 147, 157, 169, 170. 185, 212, 243, 271, 272, 274, 275 Abu B'lkr b. 'Ali. I 05 Abu Blkrah, 194 Abu Dawii:J, 73, 194, 217 Abu Dhar Ghifiri, 26 Abu 1-Iafs, 108 Abu Hanifa 157, 169. 232. 233 Abu Hayylj al-•Asali, 201 Abu R uj:\yfa, Jos. 259 Abu J'afar, 42. 76. 104, 239 Abu J:..hm. 19 Abu Khilid al-Ahnmr, 243 A'bu L:lhab. 81, 231 Abu! •A.raj, 60 · Abu I Aswad ad·Dawll, 204, 205 Abul Bakhtara, 144 Abul Fadl, Bl Abut Hasan, 180, 202 Abut Hasan 'AJi al•Hus1in a l·Ma'sO.di, 192.206 Abul Hasa n at-Miizni, 141 Abul Qasim al-Ziiji, 204, 206 Abu Lulll, 106, 107 Ab.u Mansur Muhammad b. Ahmed al·Azhari, 174 Abu Mohammad al•Anslri, 129 Abu Muhammad, 143, 201, 204 Abu Mukhnaf, 228 Abu Musa, 57, 149- 152 Abu Nu' aym, 181, 212 Abu Rafey, 42 Abu S1'd, J9 Abu Sidiq, 155 Abu Sa'ced, 194, 2J2, 225 Abu S1•id al·Khudri, 77, ,79 Abu Silch, 179 Abu Sufyln b. a l·Hiirlth, 22, 72, so. Sl, 114.161, 208 Abu Tllib, 16-19, 22-25, 27, 36, 166 Ahu Th'alabaal-Kha1hni. 77 Abu Tuf,1yl, 203 Abu Turiib, 36 Abu 'Ubayda, 74, 92, 94, JOO, 101. 1s t, 1s2. 213 Abu 'Umar. 22, 33. 77. 79, 203 Abu 'Uthman nl·Mazni, J74 Abyssinia, 20, 21. 27, 114 Africa, 193, 244, 245, 247 J\gha, 7 Agra. 268 Ahmad Amin, Dr., 163, 264 Ahmad b. 'Abdul Ahad, 231 Ahmad b. Hanbal. 33, 75. 182. 30 Ahmad Hasan Zayyiit 163, 171, 172 'Ain al-Tamar, t6s 'Aisha, 21,. 35, 46, 47, 56- SB, 63, 66, 73, 76, 77, 82, 107. 108, 141, 142, 144, 203, 268 'Aisha b. Talha, 77 Ajuri. 194 Al-'Abqariot al-ls/Omiyah, 7o, 120, ISi Al· Ahwuz, 97 At·Anbiir, 62, 165 Al·' q~lld , 130, 140, tSJ. 153. 154, t6J, 187-190 Al-Athmor al-Janniyata fi-Asm'a alHa,,afiJ'oh, 248 At-Bib, 97 Al·Baihaql, 80 Al-Blqi, 218 Al-Bayon Wat-Taba•yeefl, 172 Al-Bidoyah Wan-Nlhayali, 93, 118, J 19. 125 Al·Fikihi, 22 Al·Fakhri, J87 Al-Fdrooq, 107 Al-Fawa'id al-Riz1vlyah, \29 Al·FuJat, 6J Al-Haithami, 127 Al•Hokam, 201

INDEX 287 Al·Hqkin1, 144 Al. Huk;Jmot-al-lslomiya/1, 263 Al·lsobalr ft-Tamez is-Sah"rbalr. 139 Al-Kami/, 112 Al-K/1ast1'is fi.Ma11oqib, 201 Al-Ut, 24 Al·Madaini, 172 Al-Mnhdi, 240 Al-Mcdinah. 83 AJ-Moghan , 65, 2 4 Al-M ubarr:id, 172 Al•Nnfs al-Zakiyt\, sec Muhammad b. AbJullah nl·Mahcz Al-QomiJ.r, 4 1. 42 Al·Salchyah. ~S4 Al·Snwi\'if, 193 Al·Sh'lrif al·Rll.zi, 171. 172 Al·Sh'\wwfai, 193 Al-Sirat-al-Nabawiyah, 174 Al-Sitar / 153 Al-Sunh. 83 Al ·T:ibari, 123 Al-Tabaqat al-K11bra, 33, 37 At.'Ula. 97 At·Umiili, 82 Al·'Uzz:i, 24 Alcx·1ndrh. 117 'Ali b. Abi Tnlib. 18-20, 23. 24, 27- 29. JJ- 41, 43-45, 47. SJ, 66, 67. 73-75. 77-83, 91. 96, 97. 99- 101 . 104, 105, 108, 111 - 113, 11 9. 125-129, 135. 137- 156, 161. 163-172, 174. 175. 179, 181.191 , t93-195, ::01-208, 211, 212. 214, 219, 232, 237, 238. 244, 245, 259, 260. 262. 263, 269, 273- 275 'Ali b. Hma in, 103, 228. 229. 237- 239, 243 'All b. Kathir, 206 'Ali b Mujahid, 206 'Ali Rllza. 239 'Ali Razn b. Musfi·al-Kiizim, 241 'Ali b. Su It an al-Q<tri. 248 'Allauddin Samniini, 250 Algeria, 253, 254 Alt f-al·Khafiy.:1a fi·Ashr'{.fal· lfa11a/falr. 248 'Am a l-Jnm'ah, 218 Amin, 29 Amir, 75 Amir Sh .kib Ar:mlii·1, 253, 254 Ammiir b. Mu'awiyah a1·Dahmi, 207 'Ammiir b. Ya~ir, 140, 14:!. 148 'Amr b. A'as, 92, 125, 149. 150, 152, 167 'Amr b. Ahdu Wudd, 39. 40 ' Amrb. 'Awf, 29 'Amr b. B:1kr, 167 'Amr b. Rub.1yra. 22 ' Amr b. J 1rmuz, 143 'Amr b. Miqdi\111, 239 Anas, 79, 115, 21 1 Anbar, 165 Annals of tire £.Jrly Calip/rate, 102 A11sab al- ·lshr. f , 128 'Antara, 18 1 Anu~hirwin, 162 Aqecl, 18. 19. 23 24, 27~ 'Aqil b. Abi-Tal ib· 227 Arabia, 83, 99, 102, 138, 162, 163 Armenia I 16 A!cc:n~ion. 26 1 Ashib·i·Suff.th, JS J\sh•nth b. Qays. 149 Asia, 244 A~ia Minor, I 16, 117 Asmil' bint 'Umays, 170 Asmn'i, 163 'Ati M uji\hid. 23 ' Ata b. Sl'ib. 34 Atlantic Occ:in. 193 •Aun b. J.1.'far, 21 Aus. 27, 68, 69 Ayla, 102

288 THE LIFE OF Ci\Lll'U 'AL! A,yyiib, 240 Azarbiiijan,' 11 6 Radakhshan, 117 Badiun,248 B Badr, 18, 36, 37, 42'. 43, 1i. 74, 104, 272 Baghwi, io Bahrain, 61 Bair Ruma, I IS Balkh. 117 Bani 'Adi, 73, 104 Bani HAshim, 240 Bani Mnkhziim, 22 Bani Qa htin, 68 Bani Qurayza, 40 Bani Tarnim, 61,81, 149 Bani Taym, 73 Bani Thaqif, 181 Ba.nu Hashim, 14, 17, 21. 26, 27, 71. 72, 74. 104 . Danu Muttalib. 17 B:inu Umayyl h, 73, 104, 123, 129 Barca, I 17 ' 8.1.Srah, 98. 1i6, 128, 141-143, 147. 186, 201. 223. 232 B1yat al-Rizwlin, llS Bchqi, 172 Bengal. 2S I B:1opal, 2s2 Billil, 78 Black Sea, 117 Brahminiim, S2, SJ, 71 Bnddhism, S2 Bugc:au<l, 2S3 Bukhari, 20, 26, JS, 38, 73. 74, 83. 161 , 2 12 BJladhuri, 128. 129, 2Q6 Bulai. 230 Burai.Ja, 212 Burak b. 'Abdullah al-T.imimi. 167 Byzan1inc, 84, 91, 92, 101, IOS, tOG, 116, 117. 162, 194, 197, 273 c Caspian-Sea, 117 China, 132. 260 Chnsroes. 162 Constantine, 197 nH:intinople. 193, 219 Cypru~. 117, 193 Cyru~. 162 D Dahriin. 253 Damascus, 62, 146, 207, 230, 254 Olir al-Nadwa, 28 Dir Qutni, 22, 81 Dariiwardi, 240 David, IS4 Delhi. 231, 249 Dhariir b. Dhamurah, 179, 180 Dhi Qaroh, 142 Dhu nl-Nafs al-Zakiyn, 232 Dhul Q.1ssa, 81, 82 Dozy, 264 Duml l al-Jandal, 62, 150 E Egypt. 92, 96, 117, 125-128, 154, 190· 193, 197 Euphrates, 147, 163, 227 Fadl b. 'Abbas, 81 F<l}r al-1.rlom, 264 Fukhr-ud-din Rllzi. 172 Fakhta, 22 Fnrzdcq. 226 Flitilm, 33 - 36. 38. 47, 7<4 -80, 82, 104, 105, 169, 211. 228

lNDEX 289 Fltima b. 'Amr b. Aldh b. 'lmran b. Makhzum, J6 Fatima b. Asad, 16-18, 22 Fatima b. Us3id, 23 Fidak, 75 Findon. L. W. S., 246 Firoz Tughluq, 249 Pirilz, 106 Firilzin, 98 Futah-ul-811/dan, 206 G Gabriel, 262, Gautama Buddha, 53 Ghadir Khum, 45 Ghlrqi b. Harb, 135 Ghlmid, 165 Greece, 260 Gulbarga, 248; 2so Gulf of Aqba. 102 H Habtbah, 83 Hahira b. Maryam, 183 Hadarmaut, 246 Hifiz Abu Bakr al-Baihaqi, 79 Hlifiz Taqi·ud-din as-Subki, 130 Hijir, 226 Hakim b. Hizim, 26, 27, 115, 183 Halwin, 97 Hamadiin,44 Hamza b. 'Abdul Muttalib, 27, 37, 72. 74 Hini, 211 Hannad at-Uaynauri al-Sh'abi, 34 HiriU1 b. Husayra, 155 Hirith b. Murrah al-' Abdi, 206, 207, 219 Harrah, 19. 140, 229 Hirun ar·Rasbid, 239 Harilra, 149 Hasan b. 'Abbas a l-M'arii6, 262 Hasan b. Ali, 71, 78, 79, 83, 104, 128- 130, 138, 141, 146, 168- 170. 183, 191 , 194, 203. 211-220, 232, 238-240, 241, 247, 254, 269 Hasan b. Qahtaba., 233 Hasan b. Saleh, 181 Hasan b. Zu.yd, 24 Hasan Muthanna, 240, 242 Hishim, 71. 161 Hassin b. Hassin, 165 Hltib b. •Ali Balt'fi, 42 Hiizlr al-lslomi, 253 Hems, 100 Heraclius, 72, 100, 161, 162, 197 Herat, 117 HiJiz, 251 Hind,22 Hinduism, 53 Hishim aJ·Kalabi, 19, 228 Hish!im b. 'Abdul Ma.lik, 232, 244 Hormisdas IV, 162 Hubayra b. 'Aidh al-MakhzUmi, 22 Huduybia, 18, 40, 114, 115, 272 Hudbayfa, 212 Hunayn, 19 Hur, 226, 228 Hurmuzin, 107 Huss.in b. 'Ali 19, 78, 79, 83, 103, 104, 128, 168-170, 211. 212, 216-2.23. 225-230, 238, 244, 246, 247, 251, 269 Huwaytib, 19 I Ibn 'Abbiis, 20, 66, 206, 212, 268 lbn 'Abdur Rubbah, 172 lbn Abi a l-Hadid, 23, 81, 123 lbn a l·Hadhrami, 206 Ibn al-Hanafiyah, 171) [bn 'Aff:i.n, 149

290 THE UFE OF CALIPH 1 ALl [bn 'Amr 20 tbn •Aslkir, 35, 37, 80, 213, '239, [bn Daisln. 163 Ibn H aju, 139 l bn Hisbirn, 174 lbn Is'haq. 22, 25. 33 I bn farir. 126. 127, ISO. 164, 170. 197,205 lbn J uraih· 77, 79 (bn Kathjr, 23, 33. 38, 45. 61 , 80, 81, 93, 118. 119, 125. 126. 148, 166. 193. 214-216, 221. 229, 233, 240 lbn Khaldlln, 145, 262 lbn Kh:illik•n, 170 lbn Muljam, 167, 168, 203 lbn R:ibi'a b. a l-Hlrith, 74 l bn S:iba, 154, 155· l bn Sti'd, 23, 29, 33, 79, 103 lbn Sauda, 153, 155 lbn Sh'\yba, 42 lbn Sumayyah, 229 Ibn Tairniyah. 195, 230 I bn Tufail, 207 l bn ' Umar, 78, 81. 82 lbn 'Yuaina. 220 lbn ZiyiJ, 224. 229 I brahim, 79, 232, 233, 244 'J kramah, 20 l mim Abu •Abdur Rahm In Ahm:id Shu'cb a l-Nasa'i, 20, 207 lmiim •Ali Raza, 262, 268 lm!im Badr·ud·d1n Muhammnd b. 'Abdullah al-Zarkashi, 118 Imim Khomaini, 263, 265, 267 lmlm Milik, 79. 239 l1nlm Zuhri, 237 'lmrin, 16 lndili, 13, 65, 249, 252, 260 Indonesia, 246 • lqtl al-Farld, J 72 Iran, 13, 65, 91 , 117, 154, 260. 264, 266 tsbahAn, 182 lzitlatul Kltifa, 29 • lz-ud·din b. Abi al-Hadid al·Mada'ini, 172 J Jabia. IOI Jibir, 42, 212. 225 J abla b. al-Ayham, 273 J'ad, 181 J'ade b, Hubayra b. Abi Wahb, 167 J'afar b. Abu Sufyiin, 23 J'afar b. Abu Tilib, 18-21, 24, 27, 42, 72, 170 J'afar Sldiq, 79, 103, 239, 263 Jihiz. 172 Jamal , 141-144, L46. 141. 170. 183. 203, 273 Jannat-al-Baqi, 17C Jann:u·i-Zuhra. 267 Eria b. Qadamuh, 206 Jarir b. ' Abdullah, 147, 238 J arir b. Habban, 201 Eriyah, 170 fava,246 eru~alem, 93 J esus Christ, 52, 154, 155, 262 Jibiil, 206 J udahm. 52, 61, 155, 163, J ufayna, 107 Jubfa. 125 Jumlinab, 18, 22, 23 J uwuriyuh, 241 Jundab b. •Abdullah, 168 Juraf, 60 Justice• Abdul Jabbiir, 123 Justice ,Amir Ali, 70, 108 H'. K'nlr.1, 44, 76,114, 212. 22 1, 267 Kiibul, 117 K.nchawcha, 250